After months and months of endless speculation about the status of Sidney Crosby, the Penguins finally decided it was time for their captain to speak publicly about his concussion and held a press conference this afternoon. While nothing very surprising was revealed, it was still reassuring to see Crosby talking about his status, answering reporters in his usual style. It was also a huge relief to hear that he is expected to make a complete recovery in time.

Several points worth taking away from the press conference:

A Lot More After the Jump-SIDNEY CROSBY IS NOT RETIRING. When he asked, he stated that he had never really considered retiring. So there you have that. Now please let that be the end of all the media speculation. This was a nasty concussion, there is no doubt, but he isn’t lacing up the skates for good. I know hockey news is sparse in the summer months and the media is desperate for a story to report, but now it’s September, training camp is just around the corner and Crosby himself has now stated that he will not be retiring. Time to move past that storyline.

-There is no timetable for Crosby’s return. “It’s not as simple as saying there’s a date and I’ll feel better,” Crosby said. “I’d love to have answers sometimes.” However, the two concussion specialists who have been treating Crosby- and were present to answer questions at the press conference- said that they expect him to play this season. They stated several times that they had no idea when he would be 100% but they expect him to make a complete recovery and be able to lace it up for the Pens this season. When asked if he plans to play in 2011-12, Crosby smiled and said, “I wouldn’t bet against it.” No one has any idea of exactly when he will return (so again, enough with the speculation), and Ray Shero stated again that there’s no rush, but do not doubt that he will be back.

Merry Christmas!

-Apparently Crosby is a Ferrari. This was emphasized several times during the press conference. Why this was important is anyone’s guess, but there you are. Crosby is a Ferrari. Oh and his recovery is “like Christmas”. This was also stated more than once.

-Crosby is definitely showing signs of improvement and is expected to make a full recovery. Dr. Michael Collins, one of the concussion specialists present at the press conference, said that he saw “drastic improvement” when he examined Crosby on Tuesday:

“I assessed Sid and I could tell you that his data is the best we’ve seen. It’s approaching normal limits. It’s not there yet, but I was encouraged by what I saw. Right now I would classify Sid’s case in that we’re in reconditioning mode. He needs to be reconditioned 100 percent (before he plays). There’s no timelines on this, we can’t predict when it will occur. But he will be 100 percent normal when he plays.”

Crosby himself also stated that he has felt significantly better over the past three weeks, the best he’s felt since the concussion, and estimated that he’s at about 90% right now, give or take. Dr Collins summed it up the best: “I’m optimistic Sid will have a very long, fruitful career.”

Sidney? Is that you?

So there you have it. Sidney Crosby is not retiring, is expected to make a complete recovery, and he will be returning to the Penguins. He hasn’t been cleared for contact yet, we don’t know if he’s going to take part in training camp or how soon he will be back, but the point is he will be back, he will be 100% healthy when he returns, and he will continue to lead the Penguins in any way he can until then.